Networked Electronic Entertainment System

ABSTRACT

A system and method for distributing data between telephone devices and electronic entertainment systems. The data may be voice data or image data. The system includes a plurality of telephone devices, a plurality of entertainment systems, a conversion server, a user management server, a user database, and a game server. Analog phone data received by the conversion server from the telephone devices via a telephone network is converted to digital data including a user identification. A user name associated with the user identification is determined, target users are identified, and the data is distributed to the target users&#39; entertainment system. In addition, entertainment system data is distributed to telephone devices of target users when game situations specified by the users are realized.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation and claims the priority benefit ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/059,837 filed Jan. 28, 2002 andentitled “System and Method for Distributing Data Between a TelephoneNetwork and an Entertainment Network,” and now abandoned. The disclosureof the aforementioned application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to electronic data distribution andmore particularly to the distribution of data between a telephonenetwork and an entertainment network.

2. Description of the Background Art

A multi-user interactive electronic entertainment system typicallycommunicates via local area networks (LANs) to allow multiple users toparticipate simultaneously in electronic games. Typically, the users ofthe interactive entertainment systems are constrained to play the gamesin close proximity to other users, limited by physical restrictionsimposed by LAN architecture. In addition, each user of an interactiveelectronic entertainment system must be logged onto the system toparticipate in a game and to react to particular game situations.Generally, each user collects virtual reality world game information viathe user's entertainment system monitor, where such information istypically limited to visual information obtained through each user'sgame character. Consequently, game information is distributed to activeparticipants of multi-user interactive electronic games and is limitedto information gathered via each user's game character.

It would be advantageous to users of interactive electronicentertainment systems to distribute data from a telephone device to aplurality of target entertainment system users, where the target usersmay be specified by either the user of the telephone device or by aserver dedicated to monitoring the entertainment systems. Such a systemwould allow users to target other users based on a variety of dynamic,time-varying factors to enhance interactive game experiences. Inaddition, it would be advantageous to enable a user who is not loggedonto an interactive game to send data via a telephone device to othertargeted users. These targeted users may have relationships with theuser's game character, friendly, hostile or otherwise. In this manner,the user can still be involved in the game, even when the user is notlogged onto the game as an active participant.

In addition, it would be advantageous to distribute entertainment systemgame data to a plurality of targeted telephone device users, where theusers may be targeted in a dynamic fashion, based upon game situations.In this manner, a user may be contacted via a telephone device when theuser's character achieves game goals or when the user's character isplaced in specific game situations by other users' characters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method for distributing databetween telephone devices and electronic entertainment systems. The datamay include voice data and image data. The system includes a pluralityof telephone devices, a plurality of entertainment systems, a conversionserver, a user management server, a user database, and a game server.

In one embodiment of the invention, the conversion server receivesanalog phone data from the telephone devices via a telephone network,and converts the analog data to digital data and inserts a useridentification in the header of the digital data. The useridentification includes a user ID and a user telephone number. Theconversion server routes the digital data to the user management server.The user management server accesses the database to determine a username associated with the user identification received in the header ofthe digital data. The user server then sends a distribution requestsignal including the user name to the game server. In response to thedistribution request signal, the game server sends target user namesassociated with the user name. The target user names associated with theuser name may have been selected by the game server or selected by theuser of the entertainment system. Selection criteria include (1)choosing any user from the user's entertainment system or choosing anyuser from a menu panel on the user's entertainment system, (2) choosingusers whose avatars are within a specified distance of the user'savatar, or (3) choosing users whose avatars have a relationship with theuser's avatar. Once the target user names are received by the userserver, the user server sends the digital data to the users'entertainment systems that are associated with the target user names. Inanother embodiment of the invention, the user server prepares adistribution list, including the target user names, and sends the listand the digital data to the game server. The game server then sends thedigital data to those users' entertainment systems that are associatedwith the target user names.

In another embodiment of the invention, the game server monitors theentertainment systems for game situations specified by the users of theentertainment systems. If the game server detects that a game situationis realized for a particular user of an entertainment system, then thegame server receives the entertainment system data and the target usernames from the entertainment system. The game server routes theentertainment system data and the names of the target users to the userserver. The user server accesses the user database, determines thetelephone numbers of the target user names, and sends the target usertelephone numbers and the entertainment system data to the conversionserver. The conversion server converts the entertainment system data toanalog entertainment system data and sends the analog data to those userdevices associated with the target user telephone numbers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a networked electronicentertainment system, according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of method steps for distributing data from atelephone device to the entertainment systems, according to theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of method steps for distributing data from anentertainment system to the telephone devices, according to theinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another embodiment of a networkedelectronic entertainment system, according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a networked electronicentertainment system 100 in accordance with the invention. System 100includes, but is not limited to, a plurality of entertainment systemsincluding an entertainment system A 105, an entertainment system B 110,and an entertainment system C 115, a plurality of telephone devicesincluding a telephone device A 120, a telephone device B 125, and atelephone device C 130, a telephone network 135, a bidirectionalcommunication network 140, a conversion server 145, a game server 150, auser management server 155, and a user database 160.

The entertainment systems may be electronic entertainment systems, suchas a gaming console, or other game systems stored on computer readablemedia and executed by entertainment consoles, PCs, or workstations. Theentertainment systems are connected to bi-directional communicationnetwork 140. Bi-directional communication network 140 may be an analogtelephone network, a DSL network, a cable network, or a fixed or mobilewireless network that enables the entertainment systems to communicatewith game server 150, user management server 155, and conversion server145.

In addition, the user of each entertainment system has access to atelephone device, such as a cellular phone. For example, the user ofentertainment system A 105 is the user of telephone device A 120, andthe user of entertainment system C 115 is the user of telephone device C130. The telephone devices are connected to telephone network 135, whichin one embodiment is an analog cellular telephone network. Typically,telephone network 135 and communication network 140 are differentphysical networks. However, voice and entertainment system data may betransmitted via a common, shared physical network. The distribution ofvoice and entertainment system data over networked entertainment system100 via a common physical network will be discussed further below inconjunction with FIG. 4.

Conversion server 145 connects telephone network 135 to communicationnetwork 140, enabling communication between, for example, telephonedevice A 120 and entertainment system B 110. Conversion server 145receives analog data from telephone network 135, digitizes the receivedanalog data, and sends the digital, data to communication network 140for distribution to the entertainment systems. Likewise, conversionserver 145 receives digital data from communication network 140,converts the received digital data to analog data, and sends the analogdata to telephone network 135 for distribution to the telephone devices.The scope of the present invention covers all data types, includingvoice signals and image data. If the digital data is a voice signal,then conversion server 145 converts the digital voice signal to ananalog voice signal via a speech synthesizer or other conversion means.

Game server 150 is an application server that provides services to theentertainment systems. For example, game server 150 hosts a virtualreality world application for a multi-user game played by a plurality ofusers on a plurality of entertainment systems. Game server 150 includesa memory for storage of game information and data, such as user namesand user game status.

User management server 155 connects communication network 140 to userdatabase 160. User management server 155 manages user database 160 uponreceiving signals from communication network 140. User data is stored inuser database 160, and includes data fields for a user's personal data,such as user name, user address, user device information, and userpurchase history. A user's devices include entertainment systems,telephone devices, or other devices that are owned by a user andconnected to user management server 155 via communication network 140 ortelephone network 135. For example, when a user A (not shown) connectsentertainment system A 105 and telephone device A 120 to user managementserver 155 for the first time, user management server 155 assigns a userID to entertainment system A 105 and telephone device A 120, and thenstores user A's name, address, and device information, such as user IDand device telephone number, for example, in the corresponding datafields in user database 160. Alternatively, instead of assigning a userID, user management server 155 may assign device IDs to entertainmentsystem A 105 and telephone device A 120, and then store the device IDsand the device telephone number in the user device information datafield in user database 160.

In addition, user management server 155 stores user A's purchaseinformation in user A's purchase history data field in user database160. Purchase information includes device purchase dates and devicemodel information. User management server 155 updates user A's purchasehistory data field in user database 160 as newly purchased devices areconnected with user management server 155.

According to the invention, a user may distribute data such as voicesignals or image data from a telephone device to the networkedentertainment system 100. The invention allows the user to send data toother users who are using their entertainment systems, even when theuser is away from his/her entertainment system. A user may send voicesignals and image data from a telephone device to other users'entertainment systems to inform the other users of the user's gamestatus or to provide the other users with game information.

Both game server 150 and the user of a telephone device may specifyother users for receiving voice signals or image data. For example, inone embodiment of the invention, a user of a telephone device andcorresponding entertainment system may choose to distribute a voicesignal or image data to (1) a target entertainment system user, (2) atarget entertainment system user and other entertainment system userswhose avatars are within a specified range of the user's avatar, or (3)other entertainment system users whose avatars have relationships withthe user's avatar or whose avatars have attributes which matchattributes specified by the user, where an avatar is a graphical iconrepresenting the user in a virtual reality world managed by game server150. For instance, relationships may be defined between members thatbelong to the same team or group. Attributes of each user or each user'savatar may include gender, age, birthplace, occupation, or name, forexample. The user may choose target users by selecting the target users'avatars on the user's entertainment system or by selecting target usernames or target selection buttons from a menu panel on the user'sentertainment system.

In another embodiment of the invention, game server 150 may be enabledto automatically target other users for receiving data from a given userbased upon the above-mentioned techniques.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of steps for distributing data from a telephonedevice to the entertainment systems, in accordance with one embodimentof the invention. First, in step 205, a user decides whether todistribute data to a target user of an entertainment system. If the userdecides to distribute the data to the target user, then in step 210, theuser indicates to the networked electronic entertainment system 100 thatthe data is being sent to the target user by selecting the target useron the user's entertainment system. For example, the user may choose thetarget user by selecting the target user's avatar on the user'sentertainment system. Alternatively, the user may choose the target userby selecting the target user name from a menu panel on the user'sentertainment system. In step 215, the user's entertainment system sendsthe target user name to game server 150 via communication network 140and game server 150 stores the target user name in association with theuser name in memory. The target user name and other user names that arestored in association with the user name are collectively referred to asdistribution names. In another embodiment of the invention, steps210-215 are omitted and the method continues with step 220. In thisother embodiment, target users associated with the user are stored inmemory of game server 150 upon initialization of the user'sentertainment system by the user or system administrator. In step 220,the user sends the data from the user's telephone device to conversionserver 145 via telephone network 135. In step 225, the data is receivedand digitized by conversion server 145. Typically, conversion server 145inserts an identification that is associated with the user's telephonedevice in the header of the digital data. For example, conversion server145 may be enabled with a caller ID function. In this embodiment,conversion server 145 identifies the telephone number of the user'stelephone device and inserts the telephone number in the header of thedigital data. In another embodiment, the user of an entertainment systemidentified by a user ID accesses conversion server 145 via communicationnetwork 140. Then the user sends the voice signal or image data from theuser's telephone device to conversion server 145 via telephone network135. Conversion server 145 digitizes the data and inserts the user IDinto the header of the digital data. In step 230, conversion server 145sends the digital data to user management server 155 via communicationnetwork 140. In step 235, user server 155 accesses user database 160 anddetermines a user name based on the user ID received in the digital dataheader. In step 240, user server 155 sends a distribution request signalto game server 150, requesting distribution names associated with theuser name. In step 245, game server 150 sends user server 155 thedistribution names stored in memory of game server 150 in associationwith the user name. Finally, in step 250, user server 155 broadcasts thedigital data to the entertainment systems corresponding to thedistribution names. In another embodiment of the invention, user server155 prepares a distribution list including the distribution names andsends the distribution list to game server 150. Game server 150 thenbroadcasts the digital data to the entertainment systems correspondingto the distribution names on the distribution list. If the digital datais a digital voice signal, then each targeted entertainment system,using a speech synthesizer or other means of speech conversion, convertsthe digital voice signal to an analog voice signal and plays the analogvoice signal.

If, in step 205, the user chooses not to distribute the data to thetarget user, then in step 255 the user decides whether to distribute thedata to the target user and other users whose avatars are within thespecified range of the user's avatar. If the user decides to distributethe data to the target user and other users whose avatars are within thespecified range of the user's avatar, then in step 260 the userindicates to the networked electronic entertainment system 100 that thedata is being sent to the target user by selecting the target user onthe user's entertainment system. In addition, the user indicates thatthe data is being sent to other users whose avatars are within thespecified range of the user's avatar by selecting, for example, a rangebutton on the user's entertainment system. For example, by selecting a 1KM range button, the user indicates that the data is being sent to allusers whose avatars are within 1 KM of the user's avatar in the virtualworld of the game. In step 265, the target user name and the specifiedrange are sent to game server 150 via communication network 140. Inanother embodiment of the invention, the specified range is predefinedupon initialization of the user's entertainment system by the user orthe system administrator, and is stored in memory of game server 150. Instep 270, game server 150 receives the target user name and thespecified range from the user's entertainment system via communicationnetwork 140, and using the specified range, determines which otherusers' avatars are within the specified range of the user's avatar. Gameserver 150 then stores in association with the user name, in memory ofgame server 150, the target user name and the other user namescorresponding to the other users' avatars located within the specifiedrange. The target user name and the other user names are collectivelyreferred to as distribution names. Finally, the distribution of the datato the entertainment systems associated with the distribution names iscompleted in steps 220-250 as described above.

If, in step 255, the user decides not to distribute the data to thetarget user and other users whose avatars are within the specified rangeof the user's avatar, then in step 275 the user targets avatars thatmeet relationship and/or attribute requirements by selecting appropriatemenu buttons on the user's entertainment system, for example. Therelationship and/or attribute requirements may include other users whoseavatars are members of a team including the user's avatar, other userswhose avatars belong to a community including the user's avatar, orother users whose avatars belong to the same game stage as the user'savatar. In step 280, the user's entertainment system sends relationshipand/or attribute signals to game server 150 via communication network140. Game server 150 receives the relationship and/or attribute signals,determines the other users whose avatars meet the specifiedrelationships with the user's avatar and/or whose avatars match thespecified attributes, and stores the other user names of theentertainment systems in memory of game server 150. The other user namesof the entertainment systems are collectively referred to asdistribution names. Finally, the distribution of the data to theentertainment systems associated with the distribution names iscompleted in steps 220-250 as described above.

According to the invention, data generated by application softwareplayed on an entertainment system may be distributed to the telephonedevices. For example, data about a user's game status is distributed tothe user's telephone device, or to other users whose avatars are withina specified range of the user's avatar in the virtual reality world, orto other users whose avatars have a virtual reality world relationshipwith the user's avatar or whose attributes match attributes specified bythe user upon initialization of the user's entertainment system.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of steps for distributing data from anentertainment system to the telephone devices, in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention. First, in step 305, a user decides whetherto initialize the application software to distribute data to the user'stelephone device when a game situation is realized during user play. Forexample, game situations may include the user achieving points, the userachieving goals, the occurrence of game events, or when personalrelationships to other users' avatars are altered during game play. Ifthe user decides to distribute data to the user's telephone device, thenin step 310 game server 150 monitors the game situation of user'sentertainment system, and sends the user name (or the user ID) anddigital data to user server 155 when the user's game situation isrealized. In step 315, user server 155 access user database 160 anddetermines a user telephone number. In step 320, user server 155 sendsthe user telephone number and the digital data to conversion server 145.In step 325, conversion server 145 converts the digital data to analogdata, and in step 330, sends the analog data to the user's telephonedevice. If the digital data is a digital voice signal, then conversionserver 145 may synthesize an analog voice signal using a speechsynthesizer, for example.

However, if in step 305, the user decides not to distribute the data tothe user's telephone device, then in step 335 the user decides whetherto distribute the data to other users' devices owned by other userswhose avatars are within a specified range of the user's avatar. Thespecified range is chosen by the user upon initialization of theapplication software. If the user decides to distribute the data toother users whose avatars are within the specified range, then in step340 game server 150 monitors the game situation of the user'sentertainment system, and sends the digital data to user server 155 whenthe user's game situation is realized. In addition, game server 150determines the other user names (or other user IDs) corresponding to theother users' avatars that are within the specified range of the user'savatar, and sends the other user names (or other user IDs) to userserver 155. In step 345, user server 155 accesses user database 160 anddetermines the other user telephone numbers corresponding to the otheruser names (or other user IDs). In step 350, user server 155 sends theother user telephone numbers and the digital data to conversion server145. In step 355, conversion server 145 converts the digital data toanalog data, and in step 360, sends the analog data to each of the otherusers' telephone devices.

If, in step 335, the user decides not to distribute the data to otherusers' devices owned by other users whose avatars are within thespecified range of the user's avatar, then in step 365 the userdistributes the data to other users' devices owned by other users whoseavatars have a virtual world relationship with the user's avatar and/orto other users' devices whose avatars match attributes specified by theuser upon initialization of the application software. In step 370, gameserver 150 monitors the game situation of the user's entertainmentsystem, and sends the digital data to user server 155 when the user'sgame situation is realized. In addition, game server 150 determines theother user names (or other user IDs) corresponding to the other users'avatars that have a relationship with the user's avatar, and/ordetermines the other user names (or other user IDs) whose avatars matchattributes specified by the user, and sends the other user names (orother user IDs) to user server 155. Finally, the distribution of thedata to the other users' telephone devices is completed in steps 345-360as described above.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another embodiment of a networkedelectronic entertainment system 400 in accordance with the invention.System 400 includes, but is not limited to, a plurality of entertainmentsystems including an entertainment system A 105, an entertainment systemB 110, and an entertainment system C 115, a plurality of IP telephonedevices including an IP telephone device A 420, an IP telephone device B425, and an IP telephone device C 430, a bidirectional communicationnetwork 140, a game server 150, a user management server 155, and a userdatabase 160.

The telephone devices and the entertainment systems share communicationnetwork 140. For example, the user of telephone device A 420 associatedwith entertainment system A 105 sends data to the other entertainmentsystems via communication network 140 using VoIP technology. The data isdigitized by telephone device A 420, and then sent to communicationnetwork 140 for distribution to the entertainment systems. Likewise,data may be distributed to the telephone devices. Upon receipt ofdigital entertainment system data from communication network 140,telephone device A 420 converts the digital data to analog data which isthen received by the user of telephone device A 420.

The invention has been explained above with reference to severalembodiments. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in theart in light of this disclosure. For example, the present invention mayreadily be implemented using configurations other than those describedin the embodiments above. Additionally, the present invention mayeffectively be used in conjunction with systems other than theembodiments described above. Therefore, these and other variations uponthe embodiments are intended to be covered by the present invention,which is limited only by the appended claims.

1. A system for distributing data between telephone devices andentertainment systems, comprising: a conversion server coupled to thetelephone devices and the entertainment systems, the conversion serverconfigured to receive the data and to enable communication between thetelephone devices and the entertainment systems; a game servercommunicatively coupled to the entertainment systems to monitor theentertainment systems and to store game information and the data; and auser server communicatively coupled to the conversion server, the gameserver, and a user database to distribute the data.